The present invention simultaneously relates to an ice fishing hole cover and indicator which preferably prevents the freezing of an ice fishing hole and indicates the existence of a fish on a fisherman's line during ice fishing activities.
In the past, ice fishing tip-up devices have been used by a fisherman to indicate the existence of a fish on a fisherman's line. The conventional ice fishing tip-up devices, as known, did not permit the utilization of a conventional ice fishing rod or reel. As such, a fisherman was required to manually lift the tip-up unit when a fish was on the line, grasp the line with a hand, set the hook, and use a hand-over-hand motion to pull the line and fish from the hole in the ice. Frequently, the line would then become tangled, or a fisherman's hands would become quite cold. In addition, the fisherman would not have the opportunity to take advantage of the mechanical drag features of a conventional fishing reel or the action of a desired type of rod when catching a fish. As such, a fisherman was thereby required to use heavier line than would otherwise have been selected if a rod and reel combination were available.
Another drawback of the conventional tip-up devices, as known, is that the conventional tip-up devices usually have a very small spool of line, which is, in essence, a line holder, and not a fishing reel. In these known devices, no mechanism existed permitting the use of a standard rod/reed combination which would enable the bail to remain open. As known, fish do not always swallow bait immediately upon a strike. In many instances, a fish sensing resistence on a fishing line may drop or let go of bait resulting in an uncaught fish. If a fish is permitted to freely draw bait and line, an increased probability is provided that the fish will swallow the bait and hook, resulting in a caught fish.
Still another drawback of the conventional tip-up devices is that the tip-up devices, as known, do not adequately cover a hole in the ice, thereby delaying the freezing of the ice fishing hole. Many known tip-up devices, in fact, fail to include a cover feature or are seated within the hole in the ice, or in such a proximity to the hole in the ice, that the tip-up device freeze into the ice surface, rendering the device useless.
Still another drawback of the conventional tip-up devices is the inability for a fisherman to jig bait once a conventional tip-up has been set. The movement of a conventional tip-up or line usually results in the tripping of the flag, requiring the device to be reset following each period of jigging activity.
Still another drawback of the conventional tip-up devices is that it is difficult and cumbersome for a fisherman to set the depth of bait due to the absence of a convenient method of holding the fishing line.
The invention described herein overcomes these identified and other problems related to the tip-up devices as known.